Almost Drowned
by LenniluvsBrian
Summary: A day at the beach with Hobie and his little sister Lenore. What can and will happen to them while there?


_Some people stand in the darkness  
Afraid to step into the light  
Some people need to help somebody  
When the edge of surrender's in sight.  
  
Don't you worry!  
Its gonna be alright  
'Cause I'm always ready,  
I won't let you out of my sight.  
  
I'll be there (I'll be there)  
Never you fear (No, don't you fear)  
I'll be there  
_ _Forever and always  
I'm always here.  
  
I'll be ready (I'll be there)  
Never you fear (No, don't you fear)  
I'll be there  
Forever and always_  
_I'm always here.  
  
(Instrumental)_

* * *

"I'm home!" Twelve-year-old Hobie Buchannon called, walking in the front door of the house he'd lived in since birth.  
"Hobie!" His four-year-old sister, Lenore, squealed delightedly as she ran to greet him.  
"Hey Munchkin," Hobie smiled, scooping her up and kissing her head. "You miss me?"  
Lenore hugged her brother tight. "Yes!" She kissed his cheek, making him laugh. "We go beach now?"  
"If Dad's working, yes, we're going to the beach," Hobie replied.  
Lieutenant Mitch Buchannon entered the hall then and smiled upon spotting the two. "Who's ready to go to the beach?"  
"ME DADDY! ME!" Lenore cried excitedly, bouncing in her brother's arms.  
"Well, we'd best get you ready then, huh?" Hobie said, tickling her.  
Lenore laughed as her brother carried her upstairs to get ready for a day at the beach.  
"Don't be too long!" Mitch called after them. "I have to be there soon!"  
"Okay!" Hobie called back. he carried Lenore to her room, which was right next to his, to get her ready. He grabbed her blue and yellow bathing suit, then set her down on the bed. He talked with her, as he got her undressed, so that he could put her bathing suit on her.  
No sooner had her brother finished undressing her, than had Lenore jumped down off the bed and taken off on him.  
"Lenore! Get back here!" Hobie yelled after her, as he chased after the giggling four-year-old.  
Lenore hurried down the stairs, giggling, only to run into her father upon reaching bottom. She shrieked as her father scooped her up.  
"And where do you think you're going?" Mitch smiled. He then blew a raspberry on her belly, causing her to squeal with laughter.  
Hobie came down the stairs then, and shook his head. "Here Dad," he said, handing him the bathing suit he held in his hands. "I still have to get ready."  
Mitch took the bathing suit, then got his giggling little girl into it. "Now, where are your sandals?"  
Lenore shrugged. "Dunno," she smiled.  
"Oh, but I think you do know," Mitch smiled back, tickling her. He listened to her laugh, as they headed off to find her sandals – the sandals which she had hidden under the couch.  
Hobie came back downstairs then and as soon as they'd everything they'd need, piled into their truck and set off for the beach.  
Once they had reached the beach, Mitch helped Hobie unload, while Lenore stood next to the truck looking for Eddie.  
"Keep an eye on her Hobster," Mitch told his son. "She's getting faster, and likes to disappear and hide, then not reply when you call her."  
"I _know_ Dad," Hobie replied. "I _have_ looked after her before."  
"And I appreciate it," Mitch said. "Normally, a boy your age doesn't want anything to do with his little sister."  
"I know _that_ too Dad," Hobie replied again. He looked at Lenore then, who smiled back when he smiled at her.  
Lenore spotted Eddie just as she'd finished smiling at her brother. She darted off towards him. "Eddie!"  
Eddie Krammer, a lifeguard at Baywatch, stopped when he heard a little voice call out his name. He smiled as he scooped the little girl up. "Hey Kiddo. Where's Daddy?"  
"Daddy an' Hobie there," Lenore answered, pointing back to where their black truck was parked.  
Eddie carried her back over to the truck, then spoke again. "Lose something guys?"  
Both Mitch and Hobie looked over at him, Mitch shaking his head when he spotted Lenore in Eddie's arms.  
"Thanks Eddie." Mitch said. "Still have to stop assuming that she'll stay put when told."  
Eddie nodded, then carried Lenore to a spot on the beach in front of Headquarters, while Mitch and Hobie carried their beach stuff.  
Once they had gotten everything settled, Mitch and Eddie headed up into Headquarters, while Hobie and Lenore play in the sand out in front of the building.  
After a while, Hobie took Lenore into the water, after putting her floaties on her. They splashed about in the water, Lenore giggling the whole entire time. Soon though, much to Lenore dismay, they got back out, as her lips had gone blue and she was starting to shiver.  
Hobie took his sister's floaties off her, and set them down upon his beach mat. He then wrapped Lenore up in her Orca beach towel, and began to dry her off.  
"Now," he said. "Stay away from the water. You can only go near it if you've got floaties on."  
"No floaties?" Lenore asked.  
"No floaties."  
"No swim?" Lenore said pouting.  
"No swim," Hobie repeated, then said, "Why don't you start a castle?"  
"Kay," Lenore said, taking the bucket and shovel her brother handed her. She plopped down in the sand and began to build her castle.  
Hobie was going to help her, but just then Lauren showed up.  
"Hey Hobie," Lauren smiled. "You going to Junior Lifeguards today?"  
"Yeah," Hobie answered. "I'll have to take Lenore up into Headquarters though. Can't exactly take her with me then."  
The two of them talked for a bit longer, not noticing Lenore had gotten up and left.  
Lenore had been sitting there quietly building her castle, while her brother talked to Lauren, but had soon grown bored. So, without telling her brother, she'd gotten up and wandered further down the beach.  
Hobie glanced over to check on his sister a while later, and was shocked to find she wasn't where she had been before.  
"Lauren! Where's Lenore?" Hobie cried.  
"I dunno," Lauren answered.  
"Dad's going to _kill_ me!" Hobie said, jumping up and looking around frantically. "We _have_ to find her!"  
Meanwhile, Lenore was further down the beach, washing her shovel in the water. She didn't think her brother would mind if she cleaned it off.  
She went to get up, but dropped her shovel into the water. The shovel floated out, a little too far for her to reach, so she stepped in to get it; another wave came though, and made it go out a bit further once more.  
Lenore was determined to get her shovel back, as it was her all-time favourite, so she followed it out farther into the ocean.  
While Lenore was following her shovel out to sea, Hobie was still frantically searching for her, with the help of Lauren.  
"Hobie, why don't we just tell your Dad?" Lauren asked. "He'd be able to find her faster."  
"And he'd _kill_ me in the process!" Hobie answered, still scanning the crowds. "And don't tell any of the other lifeguards either 'cause they'll tell my Dad!"  
The two of them searched and searched, until Hobie thought he saw something – or someone – floating face down in the water. As he went closer to investigate, he got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. His fears were confirmed when he realized what was floating face down in the water – the blue and yellow bathing suit being a dead give away.  
"Lenore!" He screamed, running for his submerged baby sister.  
Lauren watched in shock as he lifted his sister out of the water and laid her down upon the sand.  
Hobie checked her for a pulse, and finding none, began to administrate CPR. "Lauren!" He yelled while working on his sister. "Get help!"  
Lauren automatically high-tailed it back to Headquarters, only to find Mitch and Eddie getting into one of the trucks.  
"**Mitch!**" She screamed.  
Mitch looked to see who was calling him, and felt his heart go to his throat at Lauren's next words.  
"**MITCH! IT'S LENORE!**"  
Mitch quickly got into the truck with Lauren and Eddie, and sped off down the beach. He pulled to a stop when he saw a large crowd gathered around.  
Mitch got out of the truck, grabbed what he would need, then pushed his way through the crowd.  
"Excuse me.... Pardon me.... Lifeguard coming though...."  
Mitch and Eddie both felt sick to their stomachs when they found Hobie still doing CPR. They quickly took over for Hobie, and began trying to get back the little girl they both loved dearly.  
Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Lenore began to cough. The crowd cheered as Mitch rolled her over onto her side, so she wouldn't choke.  
Lenore coughed a bit more, then began to cry, remembering the loss of her beloved shovel.  
Mitch scooped his little girl up, and headed back to the truck. He signaled for Hobie to get in as well. Once they were all strapped into the Baywatch truck, Mitch headed off for the hospital. They didn't have to worry about their stuff still on the beach, as they knew that Eddie and Lauren would pack it up for them.  
The ride to the hospital was silent, except for Lenore's coughs and sniffles. Once they reached the Hospital, Mitch carried Lenore inside and talked to the nurse at the Nurses' station. Shortly afterwards, they were ushered into a room, and were told the doctor that the doctor would see them soon.  
Father and son were both silent; father mad at the son, and the son not saying a word for fear of being yelled at.  
The Doctor arrived, and checked Lenore, making sure that she was okay.  
"She'll be fine," he stated. "Just keep an eye on her for the next couple of days. Anything out of the ordinary happens, bring her in immediately." He patted Lenore's head, and handed her a lollipop. "But I don't think anything like that will happen. She's strong, healthy, and her lungs and brain are fine. No water damage at all."  
Lenore sucked quietly on her lollipop, as her Daddy carried her back out to the truck. She gave her brother a smile as she's strapped in, then offers him her lollipop.  
Hobie gave her a small smile in return, not wanting to scare her, and takes a lick of her sucker, before handing it back.  
Once back at Baywatch Headquarters, Mitch carried Lenore inside, with Hobie trailing along behind him silently.  
All the lifeguards, that were still in Headquarters, were relieved to see that Lenore was all right.  
"Surfer Girl!" Logan exclaimed, upon spotting the Buchannon crew entering the building.  
"Logan!" Lenore said excitedly, diving into his arms once they'd reached him. She threw her arms about his neck. "Hi!"  
"I'll watch her Mitch," Logan offered. "I'm on lunch right now."  
Mitch nodded, then ushered Hobie into his office and closed the door behind them. He then turned to glare at his son. "Sit down!" He ordered.  
Hobie quickly did as told, not daring to utter a word just yet.  
"Now explain to me just what the _Hell_ happened out there!" Mitch yelled, reaching his side of the desk and sitting down, leaning on his elbows.  
"I was talking to Lauren, and Lenore was building a castle," Hobie began. "I didn't look away that long! I swear!"  
"All this _over a girl_!" Mitch shouted. "Your sister almost _drowned_ because you just _had_ to talk to a girl!"  
"Dad!" Hobie cried. "It was an accident!"  
"_One_ that _almost_ cost Lenore her _life_ because of you!" Mitch roared.  
"Who pulled her out, Dad?" Hobie yelled finally. "Who started CPR?"  
"Only because _no one_ else knew she was _missing_!" Mitch snapped angrily, pounding his fists upon his desk, making Hobie jump slightly. "DAMMIT HOBIE! YOU _SHOULD_ HAVE TOLD US! WE COULD HAVE _FOUND_ HER SOONER!"  
"THEY _SHOULD'VE_ FOUND HER ANYWAY!" Hobie screamed. "YOU _DIDN'T_ FIND HER IN THE WATER! I DID! AND _I_ HAVE TO LIVE WITH _**THAT**_ _FOREVER_! _NOT_ YOU! I _DON'T_ NEED YOU BLAMING ME TOO!"  
Mitch sighed heavily, teeth still clenched. "Hobie, I'm not trying to blame you," he explained. "You're right; I didn't find her. But I was still scared stiff."  
"She's my baby sister, Dad," Hobie said, wiping his eyes. "I'm supposed to protect her."  
Mitch got up, and went around the desk to hug his distraught son then. "You saved her Hobster. That's protecting her the best you could. You know now you can't let her out of your sight for a second."  
The door to the office opened then, and Lenore came running in. "Hobie!" She squealed, running over and tackling her brother's legs.  
Hobie bent down and picked her up, hugging her tight. "Hey Munchkin."  
Lenore gave him a kiss, then looked up at their father. "Lost shovel, Daddy."  
"I'll get you a new one, _if_ you promise _never_ to go near the water alone again," Mitch told her.  
"Kay," Lenore smiled. "Blue shovel!"  
"Yes, a blue shovel," Mitch said as he hugged both his children then, feeling the need to hold them close suddenly. He didn't know what he'd do if he ever lost either of his children, and he _never_ wanted to come _this_ close to finding out again. _Ever._

* * *

** (End theme music)**

* * *

A.N.: Please Review! Thank-you! hope y'all enjyoed this! HUGE Baywatch fan here! lol. Lenni


End file.
